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Monday, October 07, 2013

Jamaica's Tasty Best

My daughter and her husband (Bob) with Claire just returned from a missions trip to the children of Jamaica. So here are a few of the tastiest food Jamaica has given to the world. Enjoy.

 JAMAICAN JERK CHICKEN
For 4 Servings                                                            
1 tbsp              ground allspice                                  
1 tbsp              dried thyme                            
1 ½ tsp            cayenne pepper                                  
1 ½ tsp            freshly ground black pepper              
1 ½ tsp            ground sage                                        
¾ tsp               ground nutmeg                                   
¾ tsp               ground cinnamon                               
2 tbsp              salt                                          
2 tbsp              garlic powder                         
1 tbsp              sugar                                       
¼ cup              olive oil                                              
¼ cup              soy sauce                                            
¾ cup              white vinegar                         
½ cup              fresh orange juice                               
3 tbsp              fresh lime juice                                               
1                      chopped Haberarno pepper                
1 cup               chopped Bermuda onion                    
3                      finely chopped scallions                                 
4-8 oz              chicken quarters (Marylands) 
In  a large mixing bowl, combine the allspice, thyme, cayenne pepper, black pepper, sage, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, garlic powder and sugar. With a wire whisk, slowly add the olive oil, soy sauce, vinegar, orange juice, and lime juice. Add the Scotch bonnet pepper, onion, and scallions and mix well.
Add the chicken breasts, cover and marinate for at least 6 hours, better over night.
Remove the chicken from the brine, rinse and pat dry. Preheat the grill to medium-high. Turn one side of the grill off and place the chicken skin-side down over the indirect heat. Cook for 10 minutes, turn, cook another 10 minutes and then brush with a thick coating of basting sauce. Turn, cook another 10 minutes, baste and cook a final 10 minutes for a total of 40 minutes on the grill. The chicken should register at least 160 degrees F and the juices should run clear. Serve immediately.
If you can get Allspice wood charcoal to grill the chicken over, this will add a true Jamaican dimension to the chicken.
Rice & Peas
The peas are actually red kidney beans, but wow is this dish good.
INGREDIENTS
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 cups long-grain rice
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
2 cup chicken stock
2 cups coconut milk
1 15-ounce can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 whole Scotch bonnet chile (can substitute a whole habanero)
Lime (optional)
Heat the oil in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions and sauté for 4-5 minutes, until they begin to brown on the edges.
Add the garlic and rice, stir well and cook for another 2-3 minutes, stirring often.
Add the grated ginger, salt, water, stock and coconut milk and stir well. Add the kidney beans and sprinkle the thyme over everything. Add the whole Scotch bonnet chile (or habanero); it will season the rice much like a bay leaf would. Bring to a simmer, then turn the heat to low and cover.
The rice should be done in about 15-20 minutes, depending on the type of rice you are using (some long grained rice takes longer to cook). Check after 15 minutes. Once done, remove from heat and cover for 10 minutes. To serve, fluff with a fork. Sprinkle with a little lime juice.
Jamaican Curried Goat
2 lbs goat cut into 1-2 inch pieces
3/4 teaspoon salt
dash black pepper
1 medium onion sliced
3 cloves garlic crushed or sliced thin
3 sprigs thyme
1 tomato sliced
1/2 scotch bonnet pepper
2 scallions
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1 1/2 tablespoon curry powder for cooking
1/4 teaspoon geera powder (cumin)
1/4 teaspoon amchar masala
1 leaf Spanish thyme crushed
4 chadon beni leaves (aka cilantro extranjero or Thai pak pai)
1/2 teaspoon ketchup
3 tablespoon oil
6 1/4 cups water
Wash and drain the meat, then season with everything listed above except the water, oil, onion, garlic, pepper and 1 1/2 tablespoons of curry powder. Mix well, cover and put in the fridge to marinate for at least 8 hours. Try to seal tight as the smell can easily overwhelm the inside of your fridge..
In a heavy pot heat the oil on medium/high, add the onion and garlic and allow to cook for a few minutes until soft. Add the hot pepper and curry powder to the onion and garlic. Cook for 3 minutes..Add a 1/4 cup of water and allow this to cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes. Stirring constantly..
Add the seasoned goat a few pieces at a time and stir between each batch you add. Cover the pot and bring to a gentle simmer.
Add 3 cups of water
Simmer for 25 minutes, then remove the lid and turn up the heat.. Add the remaining water bring to a boil, turn down the heat to low covered and stir every 15 minutes or so. Braise for 2 hours.

Serve with rice & peas.

Tuesday, October 01, 2013

National Coffee Day

When Frank Sinatra recorded The Coffee Song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hc_Y4oqdP0I coffee had yet to reach the levels of esteem it enjoys today. The song tells about Brazils huge problem of what to do with all the coffee it produced, what to do? We will get back to this in a moment.


Coffee began global spread from the Ethiopian region or province called Kaffa. Nearly all plants of the species Coffea arabica are thought to be descendants of plants from Kaffa. The word coffee dates to the late 16th-century, and is derived from the Dutch word koffie, this word was derived from the Turkish word kahve, the Turkish pronunciation in Arabic is qahwa. Legend has it that a goat herded watched his animals acting strangely after consuming small red cherries from a bush. Forbidden from eating the berries he threw them into a fire to destroy them, but he had a change of heart and scooped the burned berries up and placed into a pot of water to cool. The resulting liquid was aromatic and flavorful and so the first cup of coffee was born. Coffee was certainly being brewed for enjoyment by the 11th century and became a stable in Muslim lives by the 13th century.

By the 15th century coffee from Sudan, Arabia, Yemen was being traded and shipped through the great Yemen port of Mocha. The the 16th century the Dutch brought live "mocha" plants back to the Netherlands to be cultivated in greenhouses and were soon shipped to lands where the bushes could flourish such as Malabar in India and in 1699 they took some plants to Batavia in Java.

The first coffeehouses or kaveh kanes opened in Mecca, first European coffeehouse opened in Venice in 1683 and quickly spread throughout Europe and into Great Britan. The oldest coffee house in the world still brewing coffee today is Caffe Florian in Piazza San Marco Venice. Like the modern day Starbucks coffee houses became gathering houses for social and political and business ventures, the international insurance corporation Lloyd's of London began a humble beginning in a coffee house in 1688. The Boston Tea party began in a coffeehouse (The Green Dragon) as did the New York Stock exchange and the bank of New York in a Wall St. coffeehouse.

The Dutch first brought the plant to Surinam the smallest sovereign state in South America in 1718 from which coffee soon spread to Brazil and other South and Central America countries. Then quickly into the islands of Cuba and Jamaica, where today some of the world's most expensive coffee is grown (Jamaican Blue Mountain.)

Along with coffee, two other beverages began to imported into Europe from the Americas and India during the 17th century, tea and cocoa. All three struggled for a place in the hot beverage consuming public eventually all sharing differing markets and all becoming worldwide favorites but it was the demand for coffee that gave the other two their beginnings.

In 1930 the Brazilian government approached a small baby food producing company from Switzerland  to create a new instant coffee that increased the dwindling coffee exports of Brazil, while production was high exports were low . It took eight years but in 1938 Nestle introduced Nescafe.

Instant coffee was not a new idea; it was originally invented by a Japanese chemist named Satori Kato in 1901 and had been marketed and sold by various companies with disappointing results. Nescafe revolutionized the way instant coffee was made. Nestle developed a new process for dehydrating the concentrated coffee which vastly improved the quality.  On my last trip to Africa I visited the King in Cameroon to discuss with him his coffee exports to Italy, together we shared a cup of Nescafe freeze dried coffee which was the only way  the King drank his coffee.

The two main types of coffee beans are Robusta and Arabica, when green the beans of Robusta will have a smell of raw peanut while Arabica beans will very much like blueberries. Once roasted both coffees takes on other more complex aromas and of  course flavors.

While most Arabica beans must be grown in higher mountainous regions of 600 meters above sea level  or higher Robusta beans are harvested from areas under 600 meters . Robusta beans have higher yields in the harvest and the finished product tends to be far more bitter than the Arabica cousin. Most store shelf blends will contain a mixture of both of the two types of beans. The best blends are 100 percent Arabica, the Chef K blend is a blend of green Arabica beans from Brazil, Ethiopia, Sumatra and Cameroon then dry air roasted to a medium dark color and quickly cooled to prevent the beans from continuing to cook after they are removed from  the roaster.

Green coffee beans have an amazing ability to retain their freshness  for months, some even for years, when you consider the storage facilities of the major manufacturers  green beans must be able to maintain quality. While true for green beans the same does not hold true for roasted beans. Once coffee has been roasted the process of breakdown begins, the beans will deteriorate quickly,  oxygen, light, heat and moisture are all enemies of the roasted bean. Keep your beans in an air tight container in a cool dark place away from any heat source (cabinets above stove tops.) You may store your beans in the freezer but never in the refrigerator. Refrigerating the beans will cause them to absorb odors and moisture from other things stored within the area. While freezing allows the bean's to maintain most of their flavor be sure to use only what you require and never allow the frozen beans to thaw which causes them to take in unwanted moisture.  It is best to portion out what you require and then freeze the portion packets thus you may only use exactly what you need as you need it.

The hoax of vacuum sealed packages for freshness should also be discussed here. Large companies know that fresh roasted coffee releases carbon dioxide and therefore the beans would damage any container they may be packed into therefore the roaster must allow a time period of 12 hours to several days for these gases to dissipate. As we have seen the beans would now be stale and vacuum sealing would be to seal the stale beans in the container not freshness.

 Coffee should be ground just prior to use, ground coffee keeps it fresh taste for a very short time (two days at most) after that oils within the beans leach out and the brewed result is bitter in taste. Stale coffee will always produce an inferior cup.

 Grind your coffee to the requirements of your brewer, very fine for an espresso, medium grind for drip brewers and French presses.  Using a very fine grind for your everyday coffee will produce an inferior cup of coffee and will be more expensive as you will use more coffee than what is required to brew a very good cup.

While all people enjoy differing strengths  in their brew and prefect that cup of "Joe" is an art,  you cannot  ignore the basic formulation of a great cup of coffee from which you can experiment and prefect your art. The requirements for a very good drip brewed coffee in first your water, pure water must be used, straight tap water is a definite "NO", tap water of course contains minerals, sodiums, chemicals and fluoride. The purer the water the better the coffee. Next grind the coffee that you require to a medium grind using 11/2 to 2 tablespoons for each 8oz of water. Here is where you get to experiment, ideally your brewer should be producing water at a temperature of 190F for drip brewers and 200F for espresso so use a little more or less grounds to create your preferred blend.

Let your coffee be coffee macchiatos, cappuccinos, and lattes are just teases to the great coffee which be found within.

Brazil Nut Coffee Cheesecake

2 1/2 cups crushed chocolate cookie crumbs
1/2 cup crushed roasted Brazil nuts
1/2 cup butter, melted
Non-Stick Cooking Spray
32 oz Cream Cheese, softened
1 cup Sugar
1/4 cup coffee liqueur
1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs
 4 (1-ounce) bittersweet baking chocolate squares
Mocha Sauce follows

1. Stir together cookie crumbs, Brazil nuts and butter; press mixture into bottom and up sides of a 9-inch springform pan coated with cooking spray.

2. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes. Cool crust in pan on a wire rack. Reduce oven temperature to 325°.

3. Beat cream cheese and 1 cup sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until blended. Add coffee liqueur, coffee granules, and 1 teaspoon vanilla, beating at low speed until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until yellow disappears after each addition.

4. Remove and reserve 1 cup cream cheese mixture. Pour remaining batter into prepared crust.

5. Microwave chocolate squares in a medium-size glass bowl 1 minute or until melted, stirring after 30 seconds; let cool slightly. Stir reserved 1 cup cream cheese mixture into melted chocolate, blending well. Spoon chocolate mixture in lines on top of batter in springform pan; gently swirl with a knife.

6. Bake at 325° for 1 hour or until almost set. Turn oven off. Let cheesecake stand in oven, with door closed, 30 minutes. Remove cheesecake from oven, and gently run a knife around outer edge of cheesecake to loosen from sides of pan. (Do not remove sides of pan.) Cool on a wire rack. Cover and chill at least 6 hours.

7. Remove sides of springform pan.

 Mocha Sauce

1 (12-ounce) package semisweet chocolate morsels
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup espresso

Preparation

Cook chocolate morsels, whipping cream, and butter in a small heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring often, 2 to 3 minutes or until smooth. Remove from heat, and stir in the brewed coffee. Serve sauce warm

Coffee Crusted Steak
2 (8 oz) ribeye steaks
2 tbsp Chef K steak seasoning or Montreal Steak Seasonings
super fine ground coffee
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tbsp butter

Mix the seasonings with ground coffee. Coat the  steaks heavily with the mix and allow to set at room temperature for 30 minutes. Heat a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat, and add the butter and olive oil, and heat until the butter is just browned. Cook steaks for 3 mins on each side. Let rest on a plate covered with foil for 5-10 mins before serving.

Coffee Crusted Ahi Tuna With Cilantro Sauce

2 lbs Yellowfin tuna steaks
1/4 cup Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee ground fine
3 tbsp Chef K Creole seasonings
2 tbsp clarified butter

Cut the fish into 4-8 oz or 6-6 oz portions
Mix the coffee with the seasonings and coat the fish.
Heat the butter in a skillet and sear the tuna for 1 minute per side or to rare depending on the thickness of the steaks.

Sauce

½ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 jalapeño, seeded, de-ribbed, minced
4 teaspoons fresh ginger, peeled and grated (use a microplane grater)
4 garlic cloves, grated
Juice of 4 limes
⅓ cup soy sauce
¼ teaspoon sugar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

In a mixing bowl, combine the cilantro, jalapeno, ginger, garlic, lime juice, soy sauce, sugar, salt, pepper, and ¼ cup of olive oil.


Drizzle half the sauce over tuna and serve remaining sauce on the table. Either serve as whole tuna steaks or sliced

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

National Cheeseburger Day




We looked at the Prefect Hamburger the other day (see http://chefk.blogspot.ca/2013/09/the-prefect-hamburger.h
tml) well today is National Cheeseburger day so without repeating how to make a great hamburger we'll take a look at a great cheeseburger.
The cheeseburger has different claims to stardom. The first and most common is that in 1926 a 16 year old fry cook at the Rite Spot restaurant (owned by his father) in Pasadena California named  Lionel Sternberger when he placed a slice of American cheese on the hamburger he was frying. Other claims came in 1934 by  Kaelin's Restaurant in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1935 Louis Ballast of the Humpty Dumpty Drive-In in Denver, Colorado received a trademark for the name "Cheeseburger" while the founder of Steak N' Shake, Gus Belt, applied for a trademark on the word in the 1930s also attempted to trademark the name.
The cheese most commonly used for the standard cheeseburger is known as American cheese, is a processed cheese which means although it may appear as a type of cheese it contains no cheese and must be sold as "cheese product or processed cheese" often labelled as American slices or singles.  A 1916 creation of J.L. Kraft, he took cheddar and pasteurized it along with other  ingredients forming it into a cheese product that could resist spoilage having a longer shelf life than common cheese of the day. The Velveeta Cheese company had a similar process in making a smooth creamy cheese by-product and was purchased by J.L. in 1927. In 1953 Kraft Foods introduce another "American cheese" product they called Cheez Whiz.
The cheese known as factory cheese or rat cheese really did gain high popularity with the American public as a cheese until 1942 when the US government imposed strict consumption of cheese as a wartime measure banning nearly all types cheese except American. The restriction was so severe it nearly destroyed the import cheese market and was removed just 3 months after it was imposed.
The ingredients listed for American cheese are milk, water, milkfat, whey, milk protein concentrate, whey protein concentrate, sodium phosphate; contains less than 2% of: salt, calcium phosphate, lactic acid, sorbic acid as a preservative, sodium alginate, sodium citrate, enzymes, apocarotenal (color), annatto (color), and cheese culture (not a type of cheese). Some however also add an edible oil to the process removing the milk, trading the taste for the cost of producing it. Kraft foods remain at the top as the producer of the best American cheese.
Many cheeseburgers reflect the region's cultural influence as to where they are sold using a cheese popular or common to the area. Examples may be a Greek with Feta cheese, Argentina with chimichurri sauce and manchego cheese, Korea  topped with cheese corn and kimchee, and teriyaki sauce, Swedish lingoberries and Swiss cheese, Vancouver with sharp or old cheddar and maple onion marmalade, and so many more.
Here is a list of the best Burger joints in America:
 Check out the list and leave a comment: name the burger joints you’d have included.
In-N-Out Burger, multiple locations
Minetta Tavern, New York City
Holeman & Finch, Atlanta
Ray’s Hell Burger, Arlington, Va.
Cragie on Main, Boston
Louis’ Lunch, New Haven, Conn.
Zuni Cafe, San Francisco
Dyer’s Burgers, Memphis, Tenn.
Custom House, Chicago
Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink, Miami
The Spotted Pig, New York City
Gott’s Roadside (aka Taylor’s Refresher), multiple Calif. locations
Farmburger, Decatur, Ga.
Father’s Office, Los Angeles
Little Owl, New York City
Palena Café, Washington, D.C.
Ted’s, Meriden, Conn.
Miller’s Bar, Dearborn, Mich.
Green Street Grill, Boston
Healdsburg Bar & Grill, Healdsburg, Calif.
Shake Shack, New York City
Perini Ranch Steakhouse, Buffalo Gap, Texas
White Manna, Hackensack, N.J.
Duchamp, Chicago
Peter Luger, New York City
To create the best cheeseburger follow the rules.  Rule #1: There are no rules. Rule #2: see rule #1. However the guideline is top your cheeseburger with cheese that will compliment the patty, toppings and type of bun.
Choose cheese with certain factors, 1st how it melts. Such as American, Gruyère, Comté, Brie, Taleggio (my favorite), Fontina, Boursault, Brillat Savarin, Brinza, C aprice des Dieux , Chaource, Humboldt fog, Maroilles, Saint André,.
Tangy cheeses are: Tomme d'Abondance, Appenzell, Asiago (fresh), Beaufort, Caciotta, Cheshire, Edam, Emmental, Gjetost, Jarlsberg and many more.
Going wild, Roquefort or Maytag blue, Ubriaco Prosecco, Serpa,  Gruyère, Rolf Beeler,  Blu del Moncenisio, Abbaye de Belloc to name  a few.
So make your burger, top it your favorite cheese and topping and enjoy!
Photo of In & Out Burger

Sunday, September 15, 2013

National Linguine Day


The name linguine (or linguini an incorrect spelling) means "little tongues" in Italian, a long, flat, narrow type of pasta like fettuccine and trenette. It is wider than spaghetti, about 6mm to 9mm. A thinner version of linguine is called linguettine. Linguine originated in Liguria region of Italy, typically served with cream sauce or a great pesto as you would likely see in a quaint Trattoria in Genoa .

To make a great homemade pasta you can cut into linguine or any other pasta follow this recipe and then prepare any of my top 12 linguine dishes.

Homemade Pasta

1.5 cups all purpose flour
1.5 cups semolina flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons water

DIRECTIONS

Combine flours and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Create a well in the flour and add the eggs. Attach the dough hook, and turn mixer on to low speed . Let the flour and eggs mix together. Once a loose dough forms turn it all out onto a floured work surface.

Step 1 - Make pasta dough

Create an indentation in the center of the dough, add the olive oil and water. Hand knead to combine the loose flour into a large dough ball. You may need to add more water or flour if the dough seems too dry or too sticky.

Cover the dough ball with a damp kitchen towel and let rest for 30 minutes.

Step 2- Pasta making add water and evoo, knead
Cut dough into 4 equal portions. Take one of the portions and place on a floured work surface. Cover remaining portions of dough with the damp towel until ready to use. (You don't want the dough balls to dry out, or they will be unworkable.)

Flour your rolling pin and dough well. Then, use the rolling pin to roll out the dough to 1/4" thickness.

Step 3- Roll out pasta dough

Attach the pasta roller attachment to the stand mixer. Make sure to lock the mixer into place. Rotate the knob on the attachment to setting #1, and turn the mixer on to slowest speed.

Use your left hand to gently guide your dough through the roller. (If you rolled it out thin enough in step 3 you shouldn't need to apply any force to get the dough through the roller. If you have to force the dough through, chances are you will end up with tears or holes in the dough. You'll want to re-roll it if this happens). Use your right hand to catch the dough as it falls through the roller.

Then fold the dough into thirds, gently giving the dough a press to flatten.

Pasta Roller Setting 1

Repeat step 4, another four times on setting #1. Dough should be smooth, with no holes or tears. If it's not, keep repeating this process until you are satisfied with the texture of the dough.

Throughout this step, if dough is too sticky, add flour to both the dough and the top of the roller. Sticky dough will not pass through the roller with ease.

On the last pass through, do not fold dough into thirds. Instead, keep it flat and change the dial to setting #2. Pass through dough the roller at this setting one time.

Throughout this step, if dough is too sticky, add flour to both the dough and the top of the roller. Sticky dough will not pass through the roller with ease.

Repeat step six, but increase the dial setting after each pass through, up to setting #5. You may find that the sheet of dough is getting too long, at which point, gently cut it in half. Now, you'll have to remember to pass each half of the dough through the remaining settings (up to #5). After you reach setting #5, lay dough flat on a very well-floured surface.

Repeat steps 3 - 7 with all remaining dough balls. Then remove the pasta roller attachment and replace it with the pasta cutting attachment of your choice. Make sure it is tightly secure.

Select a dough sheet, and flour it well. You don't want to the pasta strands to stick to each other after it is cut. Turn mixer onto low speed and pass dough through the cutter, guiding with your left hand and collecting pasta strands with your right hand. Repeat with all remaining sheets of dough.

Hang pasta on a pasta rack until ready to cook (Or if you are like us, just buy some cheap hangers from the dollar store to use for pasta making.) Slightly separate the pasta strands to keep them from sticking.

To cook pasta, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season with salt. Drop the pasta in, and stir often so that pasta strands don't stick together. Cook 3 - 4 minutes use a slotted spoon to drain immediately. Serve as your new favorite pasta dish!

Linguine With Shrimp And Bay Scallops In A Creamy Tomato Vodka Sauce

Ingredients:

12 ounces dried linguine pasta, cooked al dente & well drained
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup minced shallots
1/2 cup vodka
1 can (14 ounce size) diced tomatoes, drained
2/3 cup heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 pound large shrimp, shelled & deveined (thaw if using frozen)
1 pound bay scallops, rinsed & patted dry with paper towels
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley or use basil
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Additional freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

In a 6-quart saucepan or pasta pot, cook the linguine in salted boiling water until al dente.
In the meantime, prepare the sauce. In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. In it, saute the garlic and shallots for 2-3 minutes or until shallots are softened. Add vodka, increase heat to high and simmer for 3 minutes or until the vodka is reduced by half.

Add the drained tomatoes, cream, salt, freshly ground black pepper and red pepper flakes and continue to simmer for 4-5 minutes or until sauce thickens.

Add the shrimp and cover and cook for 1 minute. Add the bay scallops and cover and cook for 2 minutes more. Stir in the chopped parsley or basil along with the linguine. Cook, tossing the pasta for 2 minutes or until the pasta has absorbed some of the sauce. Serve topped with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and additional freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Lobster Fra Diablo

Ingredients:

1 pound linguini pasta
2 whole lobsters cooked with meat removed
10 medium sized shrimp
1/2 cup white wine
2 shallots, finely chopped
2 cups basic tomato sauce, homemade or canned
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon fresh oregano
3 teaspoons fresh basil, chopped
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper (or to taste!)
1/2 cup clam juice
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Bring a big pot of water to boil and cook linguine until al dente. At the same time, heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Saute the shallots and garlic until translucent about 5 minutes. Add the tomato sauce, white wine, and clam juice. Stir to blend all the ingredients.

Season with oregano, basil and crushed red pepper.

Reduce heat, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Add the lobster and shrimp and cook for another 4-5 minutes until the shrimp are no longer translucent but white and opaque.
Season with salt and pepper to taste. When the pasta is done, make a bed of pasta on each plate, add a piece of lobster along with a few shrimp and top with sauce.

Linguine With White Clam Sauce

Ingredients:

8 ounces uncooked linguine pasta
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 bottle (8 ounce size) clam juice
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
3 cans (6.5 ounce size) chopped clams, drained
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon butter or margarine (optional)

Directions:

Prepare linguine according to package directions; drain. Keep warm.
Saute garlic in hot oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat 1 to 2 minutes. Add clam juice and crushed red pepper; bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in clams and next 4 ingredients; simmer 3 minutes.

Toss with pasta and, if desired, 1 tablespoon butter. Serve immediately.

Linguine Carbonara

Ingredients:

1 pound pancetta slices -- chopped in 1" pieces
1/2 cup clarified butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup light cream
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 pound spaghetti or linguine
3/4 cup chicken broth -- heated
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

Cook bacon until lightly brown. Saute' onion in margarine until onion is a light brown. In small bowl, combine cream, egg, 2/3 cup Parmesan cheese, and parsley. Set aside. Cook pasta according to instructions on package. Drain. Return pasta to pot and add onion mixture, cream mixture, bacon, broth, and pepper. Serve immediately with remaining cheese.

Linguine Pesto


2 cups Fresh Basil Leaves
3 Tbsp of Pine Nuts, toasted
2 Small Cloves of Garlic
1 tsp Grated Lemon Zest
1 Tbsp of Lemon Juice
½ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
¼ cup of Fresh Grated Parmiggiano Reggiano
Salt and Pepper, to taste
For the remaining ingredients:
1 lb of Linguine
Salt and Pepper
Freshly Grated Parmiggiano Reggiano

Fill a large pot with water and sprinkle in some salt, bring to a boil and add the linguine, cook according to package directions. Reserve ½ cup of the starchy pasta cooking water.

In a food processor add the basil, pine nuts, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic and salt and pepper. Start pulsing everything together and slowly add the olive oil. Once you have everything combined add it to a bowl and stir in the parmiggiano reggiano.

Add the cooked drained pasta to the same large pot and add in the pesto and the reserved cooking water. Toss everything together until it’s all combined.

Plate in on a large platter and sprinkle over some extra cheese and some freshly grated black pepper.

Linguine With Spicy Chorizo And Goat Cheese

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 links Spanish chorizo, thinly sliced on a diagonal
1 red onion, chopped
Kosher salt
8 ounces linguine
4 cups loosely packed spinach, washed, drained, trimmed of tough stems
2 tomatoes, cored, chopped
1/4 cup dry red wine
4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano or marjoram
6 fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Heat olive oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chorizo and onion. Cook, stirring, for 3 to 4 minutes or until chorizo is brown and warmed through and onion is translucent. (Note: If you're using Mexican chorizo or Italian sausage, continue to cook until sausage is done.)

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt. Stir in linguine. Cook for 8 to 9 minutes (or according to package directions) or until al dente.

Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water. Drain linguine. Transfer to skillet with sausage and onion.

Place skillet over medium-high heat. Add spinach, tomatoes, wine and enough pasta water to make pasta slippery. Cook, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes or until spinach is wilted and ingredients are warmed through.
Remove from heat. Stir in goat cheese, parsley, oregano and basil. Season with salt and pepper. Serve warm.

Linguini Puttanesca

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic chopped
1 can (35 ounce size) imported Italian plum tomatoes
1 tablespoon capers
12 oil cured black olives, pitted
6 anchovy fillets
1 teaspoon oregano
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 pound linguini pasta

Directions:

Heat olive oil in large saute pan over medium high heat. Add Garlic and cook until soft. Crush tomatoes and add with juices. Add capers, olives, anchovies, oregano salt and pepper, and 1/2 cup of water.

Bring to a boil stirring often, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes. While the sauce is cooking, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon of salt and the linguini. Cook uncovered over high heat until al dente. Drain pasta, put back in pot add some of the sauce to the pot and mix it up. Dish out pasta spooning remaining sauce over top.

Beef & Tomatoes Linguine  Asian Style



1 lb flank steak
3 tomatoes, seeded, cut into wedges
1 bunch (about 10-12) green onions, sliced
1 large green pepper, cut into strips
1/2 cup oil
Marinade:
2 T oil
2 T soy sauce
1 piece ginger root, peeled and minced
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon rice wine
Seasoning:
1 tsp. Cornstarch
½ tsp. Sugar
1 T soy sauce
2/3 C chicken broth
2 T. Ketchup
1 tsp. Sesame oil
1 lb linguine pasta
Directions:
Cut steak into thin strips about 2-3 inches long
Combine oil, soy sauce, ginger, black pepper, sugar and rice wine in a large bowl.
Add sliced steak to bowl and let marinate for 30 min.
Combine broth, cornstarch, soy sauce, sugar, ketchup and sesame oil in a small bowl.
Heat large fry pan with ¼ C of oil over med-high heat (wok over high heat).
Stir fry steak for 2 to 3 minutes.
Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a large bowl.
Add remaining 1/4 cup of oil to fry pan and heat.
Add green pepper and onions and stir fry for 1 min.
Add tomatoes and fry 1 min.
Add broth mixture and cook until it thickens slightly, about 1 min.
Turn off heat.
Add steak and toss well.
Serve over hot linguine noodles.

Linguine With Mussels

Ingredients:

2 medium shallots, finely chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 rib celery, thinly sliced
1 pound cultivated mussels,(greenshell clams) scrubbed
6 ounces linguine pasta
3 tablespoons heavy cream
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions:
Cook shallots in butter in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until shallots are softened, about 5 minutes.

Stir garlic, bell pepper, and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until pepper and celery are just tender, about 4 minutes.

Add mussels and cook over moderately high heat, covered, until they just open, 4 to 6 minutes, checking periodically after 4 minutes and transferring mussels as opened to a bowl. (Discard any unopened mussels after 6 minutes.)

While sauce is cooking, cook linguine in a 6-quart pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Reserve 3/4 cup cooking water and drain linguine in a colander.

Add linguine to skillet along with cream, salt, pepper, and 1/3 cup pasta cooking water and bring to a simmer. Add mussels and toss carefully, adding more cooking water if pasta seems dry. Serve immediately, sprinkled with parsley.

Linguine  Bolognese


Ingredients

¼ cup olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 oz pancetta diced
500 g top round  minced beef
1 x 425 g can peeled tomatoes, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon dried thyme
⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 cups water or beef stock
Salt and pepper, to taste
½ cup Parmesan cheese
500 g linguine
Method

Heat oil in a large saucepan. Saute onions and garlic until soft. Add the pancetta and saute for 1 minute. Add beef and brown over high heat, stirring constantly to break lumps.

Add tomatoes and their juices, tomato paste, herbs, seasonings and water or stock. Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 40-60 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated and sauce is thick.

Boil and drain spaghetti and toss with a little butter. Pile onto serving bowl. Sprinkle with half the cheese.

Spoon sauce over the linguine and serve with the remainder of the cheese.

Thai Beef & Shrimp Linguine


1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon mild honey
2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce, divided
1 pound flank steak
3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
2 large shallots, thinly sliced (1 cup)
1 tablespoon finely chopped peeled ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons Thai green-curry paste
1 3/4 cups reduced-sodium beef broth
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/2 lb. large shrimp peeled and de-viened
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch strips
1 bunch scallions, trimmed and cut into 3-inch pieces
3/4 pound dried Asian egg noodles

Preparation

Mix together soy, honey, 1 tablespoon fish sauce, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a shallow baking dish, then add steak and turn to coat. Marinate at room temperature 20 minutes.

While steak marinades, heat 2 tablespoons oil in a small heavy saucepan over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then cook shallots, stirring occasionally, until browned well, about 8 minutes. Add ginger and curry paste and cook, stirring occasionally, 1 minute, then add broth and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in lime juice, remaining tablespoon fish sauce, and salt to taste and keep warm, covered.

Heat grill pan over medium-high heat until hot, then lightly oil. Grill steak, turning once, about 8 minutes total (for rare). Transfer to a cutting board and let stand 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, toss the shrimp, bell pepper and scallions with remaining tablespoon oil, then grill, turning frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.

While steak stands, cook noodles in a pasta pot of boiling unsalted water until al dente, 4 to 7 minutes. Drain well, then add to vegetables and toss well. Divide noodles among 4 deep bowls and top with broth. Cut steak in half lengthwise, then thinly slice across the grain and serve on top of noodles.

Linguini Con Le Vongole Al Sugo

Ingredients

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 lbs littleneck clams, scrubbed well
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 large shallot, minced
2 anchovy fillets, chopped
1 (28 ounce) cans whole tomatoes, coarsely chopped ( preferably San Marzano)
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 -1 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
1 lb linguine
Freshly chopped basil, for garnish

Directions

Let the clams soak in very cold water with a tsp of salt and the juice of one lemon for about 1/2 hour. This will remove any sand or grit in the clams. Scrub the outer shells of the clams with a vegetable brush.

Bring a large stockpot of salted water to a boil for the linguine.

In another pan, heat olive oil over medium high heat.

Add shallots and crushed red pepper and sauté until shallots are softened.

Add chopped garlic and anchovies, and saute until anchovies begin to melt into the olive oil, careful not to let the garlic get too dark.

Carefully add chopped tomatoes with their liquid.

Stir to combine, and add dried basil and oregano.

Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer sauce until ready to cook clams and linguini.
Add little neck clams to the simmering tomato sauce, stir to coat well, and cover.
While clams begin to steam in sauce, generously salt the boiling pasta water, add linguine, and cook until al dente.

As clams begin to open, I remove them to a large bowl and cover, until pasta and remaining clams are cooked.

Drain pasta, and toss with 1/3rd of the sauce, transfer to a serving bowl.

Top with remaining tomato sauce and toss with chopped fresh basil.


Finally, add cooked clams over top the pasta, still in their shells.